KFC has been notoriously secretive when it comes to its fried chicken recipe that's packed with "11 herbs and spices." But one reporter at the Chicago Tribune believes he's cracked the code after interviewing the colonel's nephew and former employee. But how could it be so simple when people have been tirelessly trying to replicate the chain's crispy chicken for decades?

The newspaper sent writer Jay Jones to the original location of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Corbin, KY, where Colonel Harlan Sanders developed the company's trademark recipe. There, a retired teacher named Joe Ledington — the colonel's nephew — showed Jones an old Sanders family scrapbook. In it was the last will and testament of the colonel's second wife, Claudia Ledington, which seems completely unimportant until you flip over the page.

Written on the back in blue ink is a recipe that reads "11 Spices — Mix With 2 Cups White Fl." Plus, there are exact measurements. This seriously could be the real deal.

Unsurprisingly, KFC representatives wouldn't confirm or deny its validity. So to be sure, the Tribune put the recipe to the test. After frying up their own batch, reporters confirmed that the handwritten recipe tasted virtually identical to the chain's chicken. Of course, if you want to make old man Sanders' chicken at home, you're going to need a pressure cooker.